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16/17 Season Preview

Feel It With All Your Heart

You can feel so much more. Subscribe to four operas and prepare to have your heart touched, troubled, and transformed in a way that only great opera can. You’ll see powerful themes and emotions that carry over from each show in our carefully selected season.

Subscribers also enjoy priority seating, insider access, flexible ticketing, and priority service—all at a price that will make you want to sing a few notes of your own.

Subscriptions begin at only $67 for four operas. Call 801-533-NOTE (6683) or renew online at UtahOpera.org/Renew.

Experience the Best in Live Performance

Call 801-533-NOTE (6683) or visit UtahOpera.org/Renew

Escape into the exquisite sets, powerful storylines, and exceptional performances you won’t find anywhere else but at Utah Opera. Remember, when you subscribe to four operas you get guaranteed seating, insider access, flexible ticketing, and priority service–all at a great price.

BIZET'S

CARMEN

October 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 (7:30 PM)October 16, 2016 (2 PM)

Love her at your own risk.

Don Jose has his duty as a soldier. He has the love of his beloved Micaela. But he throws away both when he crosses paths with the beguiling gypsy Carmen.

You’ll find yourself equally caught up in this sensual blend of passion, jealousy, and betrayal in one of opera’s most enduring masterpieces.

Leigh's

Man of la mancha

January 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 (7:30 PM)January 29, 2017 (2 PM)

the Dream Isn't Impossible to him

SOME CALL DON QUIXOTE A FOOL. OTHERS CALL HIM A LUNATIC.

But in The Man of La Mancha, you might end up calling him an inspiration as you follow the unlikely journey of a man who sees a better world all around him. Feel his hope with this rousing performance by Utah Opera.

DONIZETTI'S

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR

March 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 (7:30 PM)March 19, 2017 (2 PM)

Romance balanced on the edge of a knife.

The soldier Edgardo and the noblewoman Lucia are in love. Marriage follows. The only problem is it’s between Lucia and someone else–against her will. It’s more than enough to drive her deadly insane. Experience the dark side of love in this gothic production by Utah Opera.

MOZART'S

DON GIOVANNI

May 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 (7:30 PM)May 21, 2017 (2 PM)

He takes what he wants. And gets what he deserves.

Whether it’s an act of lust or an act of violence Don Giovanni does whatever he wants, to whomever he pleases. You might be surprised by how much his angst and unrest resonates with you in this hypnotic tale of a man who refuses to change, damn the consequences.

CHAMBER OPERA

THE LONG WALK

March 31 & April 1, 2017 (7:30 PM)

The real fight begins when a soldier comes home.

Opera becomes overwhelmingly personal in this contemporary story of an American soldier coping with PTSD after he returns home from duty in Iraq. Based on Brian Castner’s best-selling memoir, this opera offers a visceral look at the realities of modern warfare and the unseen battles that rage inside our hearts.

Music by Jeremy Howard BeckLibretto by Stephanie FleischmannBased on the book The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life that Follows by Brian CastnerCommissioned by American Lyric Theater

EXPERIENCE THE BEST IN MUSIC, FORBIDDEN LOVE, SACRIFICE, AND DRAMA ONLY AT UTAH OPERA!

Our Patron Services team is available by phone at 801-533-NOTE (6683) Monday–Friday from 10 am to 6 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm, or renew online at UtahOpera.org/Renew

Mozart's

Don Giovanni

Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre

May 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 (7:30 PM)May 21, 2017 (2 PM)

Opening Night, May 13th, will be red carpet night.

HE TAKES WHAT HE WANTS. AND GETS WHAT HE DESERVES.

WHETHER IT’S AN ACT OF LUST OR AN ACT OF VIOLENCE Don Giovanni does whatever he wants, to whomever he pleases. You might be surprised by how much his angst and unrest resonates with you in this hypnotic tale of a man who refuses to change, damn the consequences.

SYNOPSIS

At night, in the street outside the Commendatore’s house, Leporello bemoans his fate working for the dissolute Don Giovanni. Suddenly Giovanni runs into the street pursued by Donna Anna, the Commendatore’s daughter, who accuses him of trying to attack her...

The Long Walk

Photo Credit: Gary David Gold for Opera Saratoga

Jeanne Theatre at Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center

March 31 & April 1, 2017 (7:30 PM)

The real fight begins when a soldier comes home.

Opera becomes overwhelmingly personal in this contemporary story of an American soldier coping with a Blast Induced Traumatic Brain Injury after he returns home from duty in Iraq. Based on Brian Castner’s best-selling memoir, this opera offers a visceral look at the realities of modern warfare and the unseen battles that rage inside our hearts.

The Long Walk Based on the book The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life that Follows, by Brian Castner Music by Jeremy Howard Beck Libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann Commissioned by American Lyric Theater, Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director World Premiere Opera Saratoga, July 10, 2015 Commission Underwriting and Developmental Support for The Long Walk has been provided by OPERA America/The Opera Fund, The MAP Fund, The New York State Council on the Arts, and The ASCAP Foundation

VETERANS

US Veterans are invited to attend the March 29th final dress rehearsal of this opera free of charge, as part of USUO’s Arts in Service to the Military Cultural Festival. Tickets are free but limited in number; they are available through VetTix.org.

Online Learning

The Long Walk marks Jeremy Howard Beck’s first foray into the opera genre. He created the score in partnership with librettist Stephanie Fleischmann under the auspices of American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program. Now in its 10th year, the CLDP provides mentorship and training...

FESTIVAL

USUO's 2016-17 cultural festival shines a spotlight on veterans and active military, focusing on ways our arts community can appreciate and support them. As part of this festival, many local arts organizations will present events on military themes and will also provide access for active and separated military personnel to a variety of arts performances. We will also draw attention to veterans’ active art-making as a means of self-expression.

THE LONG WALK COMPOSER PRESENTATIONTuesday, March 28, 10:45 a.m.–noonDumke Recital Hall, Gardner Hall, U of U Jeremy Howard Beck will discuss the music of the opera with an opera literature seminar. Public is invited to join the class.

HIVEMIND BOOK DISCUSSION: THE LONG WALKTuesday, March 28, 7 pmArt Access (230 S 500 W, #125) Readers of Brian Castner’s memoir The Long Walk will discuss the book with its author. See Hivemind Book Club of SL on Facebook.

Man of la mancha

MAN OF LA MANCHA Written by Dale WassermanMusic by Mitch Leigh Lyrics by Joe Darion Original Production Staged by Albert MarreOriginally Produced by Albert W. Selden and Hal James

Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre

January 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 (7:30 PM)January 29, 2017 (2 PM)

Opening Night, January 21st, will be red carpet night.Thursday, January 19, will be high school student night.

The Dream Isn't Impossible to Him

Some call Don Quixote a fool. Others call him a lunatic. But in The Man of La Mancha, you might end up calling him an inspiration as you follow the unlikely journey of a man who sees a better world all around him. Feel his hope with this rousing performance by Utah Opera.

Robert Orth regrets that health concerns have forced him to withdraw from Man of La Mancha. He sends his best wishes to everyone at Utah Opera for a glorious production.

SYNOPSIS

Prison in Seville, Spain end of 16th Century

Miguel de Cervantes, playwright, poet, actor, and tax collector, has been impressed by the Spanish Inquisition for his attempt to collect taxes from the Catholic Church. Accompanied by his manservant, both are imprisoned in a seedy dungeon... READ MORE

ONLINE LEARNING

Wasserman/Leigh/Darion’s Man of La Mancha was one of the most successful musicals of the 1960s, with the original 1965 Broadway run remaining onstage for 2, 238 performances, making it the third-longest-running musical of the decade. The original Broadway run starred Richard Kiley as Quixote and Joan Diener as Aldonza/Dulcinea and nabbed six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Leading Actor, and Best Original Score.

COCKTAIL CRAWL

There are ten restaurants and bars participating in this edition of Man of La Mancha inspired Libretti & Libations cocktails and we will be visiting three of them on Wednesday, January 18.

Crawl Schedule: Finca 5:30 PM Zest 6:30 PM Bodega 7:30 PM
Bring $45 cash so tabs (including tips) can be closed as a group at each location. Each restaurant is preparing a full-size cocktail and small plate to eat for our group.

SYNOPSIS

Soldiers loiter near a cigarette factory in Seville observing the townspeople. A peasant girl, Micaela, approaches Moralès and inquires about a recent recruit,Don José .With the changing of the guard, led by Lt. Zuniga, the newly minted soldier enters....

ONLINE LEARNING

The curtain rises to a lazy pulsing monotone from low strings. The answering flutes and clarinets do nothing to dispel the atmosphere of draining heat After 19 bars of repeated Fs we seem to be heading for a regular harmonic close – think of the ending of “The Star-Spangled Banner” – but Bizet won’t allow that, and the resulting discord...

PROGRAM NOTES

Ignore the statistics. Though Carmen‘s frequency of performance lags slightly behind a couple of others, such as Puccini’s La bohème, there is something about this opera that puts it ahead of all others in familiarity and fascination...READ MORE

“Carmen” is one of the most beloved and often-performed operas in the entire world, and even if you’ve never stepped foot in an opera house, you probably already know all the big tunes. HOWEVER, here are ten things that you may not know about this opera...READ MORE